


Flower Crowns

by Multi_Elle



Category: NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Maybe very light angst but mostly fluff, OC Family - Freeform, TW: Mention of homophobia and hate crimes, They are ghosts so they died at some point, They basically adopt a little girl, Yuwin is established, no graphic description of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:49:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23497789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Multi_Elle/pseuds/Multi_Elle
Summary: Ten is a bitter ghost haunting a manoir, alone.What he did not expect was for a family to move into his house, and for a boy to pop by the daisy field.And maybe as time goes on,he realizes he deserves a second chance.
Relationships: (background), Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Wong Kun Hang | Hendery, Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Nakamoto Yuta
Comments: 9
Kudos: 45





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey :D
> 
> This was originally wattpad formated so divided in 20 chapters, but I decided it was a bit excessive for ao3 so I just split it in two.  
> For plot convenience we assume Ten is called Lee Ten (you'll understand).
> 
> Now, enjoy!

Big houses never remain empty very long.  
Most of the time, they’re not empty to begin with. Even if it seems like they are.

But really, nothing is as it seems.

Ten was walking in circles in the attic. His footsteps should have been the source of crazy noise, considering the floor was made of terribly old and cranky planks of wood, but the thing was that he didn’t have actual feet, or legs - or anything - .  
He enjoyed peace, and quiet. And right now, he had none of that.

At first, his wishes of serenity were fulfilled. The house - which was more of a spacious mansion- was located far in the countryside, surrounded by the most gorgeous forest and a lovely daisy field that extended for miles. The tale of his death and of the weird events that ensued kept people away for decades, and the isolation of the place allowed him a certain secrecy.  
But that was the 1800’s. Now, times had changed and everyone had long forgotten about him.

The city expanded and soon, the Mansion became a nice countryside getaway from the city. Buyer, after buyer, after buyer came running to buy the property. At first, Ten made them run away. « Ghost », « poltergeist », « monster », he fuelled each and every one of their fears. But the game got old and soon he just accepted his fate and went to live secluded in the attic. It was terrible, but he was just too weak to fight back. There’s so much you can do in the afterlife, and the crippling feeling of loneliness soon hit Ten.

Yes, he was surrounded by people. But was he was not like them.  
They had soft flesh, a rosy feeling to their cheeks, long bright hair. They had laughs, they had tears, they had tales, they had a future. Ten had none of those.  
True, he once made a friend. An unexpected one.  
It was around 1930, an old lady who inherited a lot after her husband died in the war and who was seeking some peace bought the mansion. She was the sweetest person the young man ever met. She couldn’t see him, of course, but she sense him, see the objects moving on his path, and she even knitted him a long cape so she could know where he stood. They read together. They knitted, even thought Ten was more of a crochet guy. They baked. He picked daisies and made the woman flower crowns.

She was called Rosemary. An old English lady, seeking a getaway from the busy streets of London.

He was selfishly hoping that she could become a ghost as well and haunt the mansion alongside him when she passed but she had a son, who put her into a retirement home the day she hit 90 years of age leaving the ghost alone, and bitter.

After that Ten just wished people would abandon the project of buying the old house which was started to turn into ruins, but he was surely doomed as the mansion was bought again, and completely restored. Soon different aristocrats started to inhabit the place again. A pianist in 1952 who founded a family of six kids. A dancer, in 1980, who taped the floor ridiculously loudly with her high heels. A rich family, with teenagers and their damned music around 1990. And each time, a literal army of real estate agents. Noise, noise, noise, noise.

He was alone for a while after that but today, a family was visiting the house. Hence the pacing, and the worrying. He caught a glimpse of them when they pulled up in the alleyway, and he didn't know how to feel about them  
It was a lovely and rich couple, a surgeon and her husband who worked on some thesis about the space from what he heard. They had a child who seemed completely uninterested in what was going on, a little girl with stupidly-long black hair that was full of knots.

He didn’t even try to make them go away. He had no more strength, no more will. He just sat on the couch, gazing right at them as they visited the living room and complimented the table, the paintings, the carpet.

⁃ Julianne’s great grandmother used to live here. I’m sure the place has changed a lot, but it still has that…victorian aesthetic. If it wasn’t so nice, I’m sure it would be haunted. Said the man with a laugh

Oh the irony.

⁃ I’m so glad that this mansion is going to be back in the family. My grandfather felt so guilty when he took great-grandmother out of it…she really liked the place. Added the spouse.

Dots started connecting in Ten's head. Could they have been talking about...?

Having lost all the interest he could have given to the visit, Ten started studying the features of the woman that was admiring the fireplace.  
A sharp jaw, determined green eyes, short and freshly cut dark brown hair. To be very honest, he saw nothing in her that reminded him even in the slightest of the old woman.

Then he met the eyes of her child.  
Pitch black. Clever. Soft, with no edges if it wasn't for the small wrinkles that appeared when she smiled ever so slightly.  
Rosemary's eyes. The same eyes he wished he could see just a little bit longer.

She was staring in the void, scrunching her nose as if some scent made her uneasy. Scratching at her skin a bit, as if some mysterious fog was irritating it.  
She had the same odd behavior. She had to be her descendant.

⁃ Angelina, come over here. We’re going to show you your future bedroom! 

The little girl turned her head at her father’s calling and started climbing the creaking stairs.

Ten just laid there, processing the pieces of information. New people. The old lady’s descendant. This kid.  
This damned place.

He took a moment to get up and look at the window.  
The place was like him: it changed yet remained the same.  
You could see some buildings from afar, could hear a road nearby. You could see planes in the sky, and electricity wires.  
But it was still the same old mansion, the same forest, the same daisy field.

Wait, what?  
No it was not!  
There was someone out there!

***

Ten went running to the front door and tried opening it without any noise so that the visiting family wouldn’t be alerted. It wouldn’t have really concerned him if it was another but he was...intrigued by something. And he ought to find out what and why.

He slowly approached the figure that was on the ground, in the middle of the daisy fields, looking at his hands like they might combust every minute.  
No one ever tried to trespass the property. So to say that this was astonishing was an understatement.

Ten got ready to make the other run away when the latter's head shot up and his gaze met Ten's.

\- Help me! Help me please, I don't know what's happening to me. he said, genuine despair filling his voice as surely as tears should be filling his eyes.  
But he had no tears.  
Just lifeless dark brown eyes that rested under cold, white eyelids.

A ghost. Not that Ten had ever seen another ghost but...he knew. He just knew. He knew that the white cheeks, slightly translucent hands and feet and placid chest that were in front of him weren't of a human's. A human wouldn’t be able to see or hear him, on top of that.

\- What are you doing here? he said, his voice cold yet calm.

\- I don't know! I have no idea why I am here, or where I am!

The other was now tugging at his black hair, visibly panicking.

\- Good god, I'm gonna wake up in the woods, this is just a dream. Just a dream.

\- I don't care if it's a dream or if it isn't. What I care about is that you're currently killing both my daisies and my patience, which was that one rare part of me that wasn't already dead. So, two choices. Either you go away this second, or...

Well, Ten hadn't actually thought that far. Or what? He'd kill him? Absurd as he was already dead. He might as well use this as an opportunity to collect some information. The boy was the first supernatural creature Ten ever met aside from himself, after all.

\- Or you tell me your name and explain to me why a ghost just randomly popped up into my backyard.

The boy seemed to calm down a little, panic replaced by confusion and despair.

\- I go by Hendery. And I don't know anything about...ghosts or whatever. I just want to know why my hands...my hands are fading. Am I sick? Am I dying?

\- Do you mean that you know nothing about your condition?

The boy- Hendery shook his head.  
Well, that was a change of pace, but it made sense and explained the state of anxiety Ten found the boy in in the first place.  
If the boy died on the property or close enough to it, chances were that he was bound to the place as Ten was.  
For hell’s sake, newly "born" ghost wasn't part of any plan Ten ever made.

\- So...worse. he said after a moment. - You're already dead.

\- No, I'm not. I still breathe, and I still feel things.

\- Why would I lie to you about that? Besides you're not actually breathing just lifting your chest up and down in a coping mechanism. Please stop it, it's painful to watch. The feeling of touching things will disappear in a few days when your blood eventually starts to completely evaporate from your body.

Hendery frankly looked frightened, but...not from the same fear Ten went through when he died. He was afraid of his changed body, and of the incredibly out of the ordinary pieces of information that Ten just gave him. But being dead? He swallowed that oddly easily.

\- So I really... I really am deceased. Why am I still...thinking and talking and seeing things?

\- You turned into a ghost.

His declaration was welcomed by a dead silence from the other which cause Ten to roll his eyes.

\- Feel no need to react.

\- Sorry, it's just...I heard so much in literally fifteen minutes that I'm not even surprised. Give me a day or two to process everything. And hum... may I ask who you are??

Ten plastered a flight-attendant smile on his face and started gesturing sarcastically in direction of the house.

\- Welcome to my mansion I am Ten, the rightful ghost of the property. Now would you please get your ass out of my daisies?! 

Hendery shot up, having a hard time adjusting to standing on invisible feet but eventually managing.

\- Okay, thank you Ten. I'm- I'm going to head back to the forest now.

\- No you're not. I mean, I'm not keeping you from trying. Go ahead, I'll wait here.

He sat on the ground and encouraged the other to walk towards the trees, a sly smile creeping it's way to his lips.  
This was going to be fun.

The brunette starting walking hesitantly away from the house, approaching the woods with every second that passed. Everything went normally at first, but then he noticed his wrist started to fade, as well as his legs up to his knee. And before he realized what was happening, it was his whole arms and legs that were gone.  
He immediately started running towards the mansion to a Ten that was crying of laughter.

\- Why didn't you warn me about this??

\- I mean, I tried! said the giggling boy. But honestly, I also wanted to see if getting away from here would make you fade away as well.

Hendery had no time to answer as the doors busted open and the family got out of the house.

\- Do we have to hide? He anxiously asked.

For an answer, Ten simply stood up, and went in front of the real estate agent who was still talking about some assurance or hell knows what, and started making faces at her. Sticking out his tongue, scrunching his nose.  
And of course, she didn't show any sign of reaction whatsoever and simply continued rambling.

\- You can also do this. He said, balling his fist and bashing it against the woman's head with all his strength. Hendery expected her to fall to the ground, but he was wrong. The translucent fist simply went through her head as if it was made out of thin air.

He stared at Ten in awe, only a murmur making its way out of his lips.

"You really are a ghost!"

***

The following week came with the double pain of having to get used to living with both the new family and Hendery.

Onto said family, first.

The ghosts were quick to learn that they were called the Bamerson. Julianne, Cristopher, and Angelina Bamerson.  
They were as rich as they were busy. Mrs. Bamerson was almost never home, as she spent most of her days working at the hospital or traveling abroad to hold conferences and to receive hell know which award for her genius discovery.  
Mr. Bamerson was the opposite.  
Under no circumstance did he leave the house. Worse than that, he almost never left his desk, always writing something or calling someone, doing « god’s work » as he liked to brag whenever the family had guests over.

Which let little Angelina mostly alone.

Angelina was an 11 years old girl with a bright mind overfilled with bored-ness, and the feeling that she was related to Rosemary not only never left Ten but grew stronger with every day he spent around her.  
One day that he was in her room reading one of her books, she stopped what she was doing and stared at him, well not at him as she couldn’t see him but definitely at the spot he was standing at. She brushed it off as being tired and went on with her day.  
A similar incident occurred a few days after, at nighttime.  
Hendery was in the attic doing some experiments - we’ll get on to that later -, when she went to her dad complaining that she couldn’t sleep because of the noise. When her father answered that he heard nothing and that her imagination was too wild, she simply nodded and went back to sleep.

Hendery got the same feeling about her then Ten, but was too distracted by his experiment to give it any thought.  
Ah, Hendery’s experiments. Otherwise called « The Death of Ten ears, calm and inner peace ».

Upon his arrival, not a lot of thought was being given to the ghost’s abilities. Ten was not really dead nor really alive, and that was all he ought to know.  
But for Hendery, it was another story.  
If Ten grew up among old bookshelves filled with books too boring to serve any other purpose than decorating a wall, Hendery knew comics, sci-fi, fantasy. He knew movies, he knew YA books, he knew the internet while the other only had ever caught a glimpse of those inventions.

So he was convinced that he had some magic powers.  
And for once, he was not wrong- tough it slightly pissed the older off to see that Hendery uncovered more in a week than him in 200 years.

They had levitating powers. For themselves, Ten already knew that, but they could use them to make some objects float in the air as if they were weightless. It required a lot of concentration and if Ten could let heavier and bigger things than the other, the latter was better at controlling the course of what he was levitating.

They could also make objects disappear. This one was very easy and required little to no effort from the boys. To be honest, Ten probably already used that one before but was just too distracted to notice it.

Mentioning only the two powers that Hendery did discover would be insulting to the incredibly long list of all those he put to the test. Super speed, fireballs, controlling weather, you name it he tried it.

The novelty of having someone who could actually see him wore off and Ten only grew annoyed at the lack of discretion of the other. But what choice did he have but to endure it?  
Hendery even went as far as suggesting that they tried to make Angelina levitate or disappear, and that’s the moment Ten decided that he had to step in and stop him.

\- But why? She’s used to sensing weird things, she’ll brush it off! Come on, aren’t you curious? Argued the younger

\- I don’t know in which language I have to tell you this. No! No I am not! But most importantly, it is very, very important that this family stays here. If you keep on with your madman's actions, they’ll be frightened and move out.

\- And why would it be so important huh? If you love the company so much, just wait for the next buyers! I don’t understand your weird obsession with them. Are you in love with Julianne or something?

\- Oh for hell’s sake!

It took every ounce of strength that Ten owned to not punch Hendery in the face right here and now. Instead, he just tried to keep his composure and pinched the bridge of his nose.

\- Okay, fine. No, I am not enamored of Mrs. Bemerson. It’s not about her, or her husband. It’s about the child.

\- ….wait you’re attracted to the child?

\- What?? OF COURSE NOT! Now shut it and listen to me, will you?

Surprisingly, Hendery complied and kept his lips sealed. "For once", thought the other.

\- Thank you. So. As you know humans can’t see, or hear, or touch us. Well, I found an exception to that rule.

Hendery squinted his eyes, miraculously managing to stay silent but definitely intrigued.

\- Around 1935, a woman called Rosemary moved in. A widow. At first nothing, but one morning she heard me walk in the attic. And after a few days, she could hear me talk. We were able to hold hands two months after that.

The younger was still listening, jaw dropping to the ground.

\- But what does it have to do with Angelina?

\- When her family moved in, they mentioned that Angelina’s great great grandmother used to own the place. An old English woman? Considering who lived here before and after that, not a lot of candidates left. Plus there is…something. About the child. She shares something with Rosemary, but I can’t figure out just what.

\- So you say that eventually, she could hear us?

Ten seemed to think a moment. The staring, the sleepless nights because of the noise coming from the attic…

\- I’m saying that she probably already does.

***

That marked the beginning of a silent period.

Hendery didn't dare to make a noise around the child anymore and just spent his days levitating stuff in the attic while Ten was laying on the floor, being dramatic for the sake of it or simply reading a book or the newspaper if he ever managed to steal it from Mr.Bamerson without him noticing.  
He never noticed anything, anyway.  
And that included the declining mood of Angelina.

She was strictly homeschooled, for the very good reason that the mansion was completely isolated, and a private teacher would come every few days to blurt out knowledge with a disinterested voice to the complying child. She was very disciplined and cherished those moments because they were the only times when anyone would show any interest in her.

But you can’t study all day, and the little girl went on a mission to explore the entire house.  
She made it to the attic in no time, startling the two boys who were playing their favorite game of ignoring each other.

\- Hello? Is anyone there?

Hendery was conflicted as to reply or no, but the choice was quick to be made when the other hurried behind him and put a hand on his mouth.

Angelina sighed, defeated, and started exploring the room under the curious stare of the two boys.  
She coughed with every step she took, moving a small cloud of dust but she persisted. She uncovered a few books - including one of hers, and she had no idea how it could have arrived here - but also a mont of objects left there by the precedents occupants. Broken children toys, old clothes, two chairs, a collection of dolls, curtains…she took them all out and laid them on the floor, before starting to do hell knows what.

Ten and Hendery stood side by side, fascinated by her actions, their supposed hatred long forgotten at that moment.

She pushed the chairs on the old attic floor, brought the curtains and some clothes, and an old lamp that seemed to still be working. Ten didn’t even complain when Hendery made the fabric fly a little so that she could manage to place it the way she wanted without falling down. The time she was finished, a tent was built at the center of the attic.  
A nice tent, on top of that. Walls of chairs and frames, roof of curtains, floor of clothes and fabrics that covered the hardwood floor.  
An as a last touch, she turned on the lamp.

\- So um…I don’t know if anyone is here or if I am just going crazy. But just..just in case, I made this. So you can be cozy you know? Attics are not very funny to live in. You’re always welcomed in my room by the way. She said in the void.

But Ten was almost certain that it was not a complete coincidence that she was staring at the wall right behind him and Hendery as she spoke.

The two boys stayed stunned and didn’t snap back out of their trance until after the girl was gone.

\- Ten…I think you were right.

\- I know. I’m always right.

Hendery just sighed at him, then got into the tent.

\- Man. It does feel good to have a house.

\- The attic isn’t exactly outdoors.

\- I know, but being in the attic was having a roof. Being in there is having a house. Come on in, you’ll like it.

Ten reluctantly got in, sitting close to Hendery so that both of their bodies could fit in. He was astonished at the sensation of warmness the place offered.  
Maybe a weak smiled crept into his face.  
Maybe.

****

\- We should talk to her. Or at least give her a sign that we exist.

It was a sunny day, so they were sitting by the daisy field. It was one of Ten's favorite spots, mainly because when he was in the open Hendery talked less. That was actually one -of the very few- things that Ten liked about him. How he could be mesmerized by something he liked, may it be a TV show, the forest, or their tent.

\- We already had that discussion. It’s no. said Ten, as he plucked flowers from the ground.

\- I got why you don’t want them to freak out but she thinks she going crazy, and she’s like the sweetest girl in the earth with some of the most shitty parents I had the pleasure to meet. And that comes from someone who has really, really shitty parents. Well, who had.

\- I know but…

He had no objective reason to refuse. None other than a fear to be abandoned. Again. After Rosemary left…he was broken. Having someone who acknowledges your existence when you are literally transparent for everyone else is more than a blessing. And trusting what he saw, Angelina held great chances of being even more powerful than her ancestor.

He started to intertwine the flower that sat in his hands, the other brushing his vague answer with a shrug.

\- Here. He said, throwing something at Hendery’s face.

The latter groaned, then examined the projectile.  
It was a flower crown.  
A slightly damaged one, I’ll give you that, but still a beautiful one.

\- Her great grandmother taught me how to do that. Come on, put it on.

He didn't have to say it twice to the now grinning boy, who struck a model-like pose the moment he got on the crown.

\- How do I look?

\- Meh. A little less disgusting.

That was an understatement. The yellow flowers created a nice contrast with Hendery's pale skin and ebony hair, making him look better than any other man Ten had ever laid his eyes upon. But again, he hadn't left the house for over two hundred years so it's not like the young ghost had a lot of competition.

Nonetheless, a smile lit up Hendery's face.

\- I'll go with that. Could you teach me how to make them?

Ten nodded immediately.

Long story cut short, Angelina came home to two dozen of flower crowns sprawled on her bed that night.

****

\- Hendery what exactly is she staring at?

The boy’s head perked up from the TV show he was watching, sat beside an oblivious Mr.Bamerson.

\- Who, Julianne? Oh, that’s a phone.

\- No the previous owners had phones. And it looked nothing like that.

And welcome to a new edition of « Ten freaking out over change »

\- Technology evolves, man. Like a Pokemon.

\- A poke-what?

\- Dude come on!

Ten just shrugged, turning back to the newspaper he was reading over the shoulder of Mrs.Bamerson, who had miraculously found time in her schedule to come home, for once. He loved reading the news. He didn’t understand most of it, but it helped him at not feeling completely overwhelmed with novelty.  
You should have seen him the first time he saw a car. Epic. He was so scared of the thing that he chased the owners away, only to realize in terror that the next buyers also owned one of those devil’s engine.  
And he never really understood the Internet. He was envious of Hendery, for the knowledge he carried until his grave. Eventually, he’ll become as clueless as the older but for now…  
Wait.  
Ten’s eyes stopped on a specific article. He grew more and more confused as he went through it.  
Okay, hmm, sure….what?

Not thinking twice he grabbed the newspaper, re-reading the paragraph four times before realizing that Mrs.Bamerson was screaming and that Angelina let the glass of water she was drinking fall to the ground.

\- Be quiet honey, I’m watching soccer. Said a voice from the living room

\- But….But Christopher, the newspaper! It’s flying!

Ten was quick to put it down before Mr.Bamerson got into the kitchen, staring disapprovingly at his wife.

\- Did you eat something rotten? Or maybe you’re sick. Because this -he took the poor newspaper in his hands- is the most normal looking thing I ever saw. Isn’t it Angelina?

The girl nodded, adding that « she was there and it didn’t fly ». Ten owed her one.

Mrs.Bamerson nodded as well, like one of those dumb puppies you can put on your desk or in your car, and got out the room after ordering Angelina to clean her mess.  
The latter waited for a while, to be sure that her mom was gone, before turning to the place where the newspaper had started flying.

\- It did fly, didn’t it? You took it and it looked like it flew. And you made me lovely flower crowns! She said to seemingly no one, but in reality, both Ten and Hendery were here to hear her.

\- Yes. It did fly. 

Ten’s head snapped in Hendery’s direction, and if looks could kill - and if he wasn’t already dead- the latter would be laying on the floor right now.  
But he had to admit that the expression on Angelina’s face after she heard those words was…priceless.

Her whole being lit up. Like if not only her lips but her whole body started to smile.

\- I…I heard that! I heard you! Where are you?

Hendery cautiously looked to the older ghost whose face was expressionless. He was not missing this opportunity to make things go on.

\- By the coffee machine. Can you try touching my hand? He said, holding said hand forward.

It took them some time - thanks to invisibility and height difference- but their palms ended up aligning, and the fact that this girl was a little different than any other just became more clear as she held onto Hendery’s transparent hand, her smile not fading off one bit.

\- Oh my god, I knew it! I knew I was not crazy? What is your name? What are you?

\- My name is Hendery. I am a ghost, I think.

\- Ghost…so you died? She immediatly asked. What did you die from? Oh no sorry, is that impolite? I don’t want to be impolite it’s just that I noticed a grave in the backyard so I thought…

\- Don’t worry, he reassured her. I don’t think that’s…Impolite? But I have no idea how I died. I just…woke up by the daisy field one morning. And the grave’s not mine, I think it is…

He didn’t finish his sentence, as Ten threw an apple towards his head.

« Do not mention me », he mouthed. Hendery agreed to that.

\- I think it is the one of a previous owner. Not sure which, though.

The girl nodded, visibly in deep thoughts.

\- Well, I am Angelina but please call me Angie. My parent’s refuse to do so because…they’re my parents, but yeah that’s my name. I don’t get how they don’t hear you, though. You’re loud enough for two people.

\- Well, what I am wondering about is how you can hear me.

The girl pulled out a chair, and place her chin on her hand.

\- I don’t know. I always had these weird…quirks, heard things I was not supposed to hear, saw things I was not supposed to see and did things I was not supposed to do. I swear, one time I crossed path with a man who had wings!!! How cool is that? But no one believes me so I just…don't talk about it. Not that anybody would listen.

\- Well, Angie, I’m here now if you have tales of the supernatural you need to get off your chest.

And with, the child was gone. She talked for almost four hours straight. People who turned into black cats, other becoming really tense during fool moons, others having small fangs no one seemed to notice, she’d seen it all. Her teacher who was definitely not drinking tomato juice, her friend who’s strength was a little above the norm, that actor whose award-winning smile was hiding a very particular tongue.  
Ten was fascinated. After centuries of thinking he was the only supernatural creature to exist, he crossed path with this girl who could probably write an entire bestiary.

And Hendery listened through it all, smiling, laughing, pouting when the story asked for it.

The moment Angelina finished her tale, they all released a breath they didn’t know they were holding.  
She was a great storyteller.  
Hendery felt almost proud of her, without really knowing why.

\- I’m sorry I talked for so long. Oh god, I still have to clean up.

\- Don’t worry, I can help with that. Said Hendery with a smile.

He held his hand in front of him and started focusing on the broken glass. Every little piece started slightly shaking, and soon they were all levitating, doing every movement the ghost wanted them to do.  
He made them fly over Angie’s head, turn around Ten’s waist which made the elder smile. The shiny pieces of glass then continued their journey below the table, around a chair and finally ended up into the trash.

\- That. Was. Amazing. You’re so good at this Hendery!

\- Thank you, I’ve been practicing. Now, isn’t it the time for you to go to bed.

\- Hold on, did you just turn into my dad?

\- Maybe I did, he stated with a sly smile.

He took the girl into his invisible arms, carrying her to her room- always making sure her parents didn’t see them- then made his way back to the kitchen.

\- Her dad, huh? Ten said, smirking.

\- Shut up. She had a shitty day, I just wanted to…un-shitty it. Would you be okay with that?

Ten hesitated, then sighed, and nodded in agreement.

\- I can go with un-shitting her days. I know how it feels to be ignored and she’s so….I don’t know. Soft?

Hendery didn’t answer but simply smiled. Yes, she was.

\- I’m going to the tent, you’re coming?

\- Go ahead, I’ll catch up.

Ten waited for the other to leave then he grabbed the newspaper that was still laying around, and shoved it in his back pocket.  
If Hendery ever was to found it, it would be bad.

***

Life was good.  
Or in Ten’s case, death was good.  
« Mood », shouted Hendery at the sight of this sentence, leaving a very confused Ten and a smiling author who’s gonna ask her characters to stop interrupting the story.

Anyway, as I said: Death was good.

Ten introduced himself to Angie, who looked rejoiced knowing that she lived not with one, but two ghosts in that big empty house of hers.  
And even if she couldn’t actually see them, they were more present for her than her parents.  
Like two big brothers, or some fairy godfathers or something of the kind.

She didn’t care. She liked them, whatever they were.

It became a habit for Hendery to braid her hair in the morning before her private lessons started, and when it was over she always returned in her room to a plate of freshly baked cookies that she knew Ten made, even if he wouldn’t admit to it.

She made the two ghosts wear flower crowns around her, to know where they stood, and she wore one as well because…well because she could!  
That was the better thing about this situation.

See, when you’re left all alone when you can do pretty much whatever you want, you often end up doing nothing.  
But when there’s someone to watch you as you do whatever the hell suits your mood, only then do you find what you really want to do. Only then you find freedom.

And in Angie’s case, freedom was singing rock songs at the top of her lungs in duet with Hendery who looked just as excited as she was to do so, Ten staying seated on the bed and being dramatic about the noise but secretly enjoying it.

This was one of those evenings. Emperor’s New Clothes was on the radio, and both the little girl and the younger ghost were having the time of their lives. They even invented some kind of choreo which was a little over the place, as Ten told them.

\- Booooo! How did you have fun in your days, old man? Asked a daring Hendery.

\- We didn’t, for the most part- he shrugged. But there were bals. Those were cool. I was quite the dancer, you know!

\- Ten!!! Would you teach me how to dance? Asked Angie, hope filling her eyes.

He nodded and « reluctantly » stood up to change the music to a more classic one, muttering a « thank god » the moment the rock ended.

\- So, Madame Angie, could I have this dance?

\- Of course, Monsieur Ten. 

He placed one of her hands on his shoulder and took the other in one of his own.

\- Wow, you’re short!! Said the girl once she was in position.

\- Say that again and I’ll make sure that there aren’t two, but three ghosts in this house. He said glaring right at her - not that she could see him.

She laughed it off, and he went on with his explanations.

\- So, you count the times and you move with them. It’s a waltz, so it goes 1, 2, 3 and 1, 2, 3. And you go forward, sideways, backward and again forward, sideway backward- you’re good at this Angie!

The child’s movements were a mess but the energy she put into trying to get them right made both of the ghosts smile.

\- How could people have fun doing a dance this hard?

\- Honestly, once you get it, it becomes fluid. Don’t worry you’ll get there in no time.

\- Can I try as well? asked a timid Hendery

By that, he probably meant that he wanted to try and dance with Angie but the girl understood otherwise and went to sit on her bed cheering for the young boy.

\- Well then, Monsieur Hendery. Can I have this dance?

\- Yes, Madame Ten. Pleasure’s all mine.

\- Did you just- Ten scoffed at Hendery’s smile, and simply shook his head disapprovingly in response.

\- Okay, one hand on my shoulder, the other on my left hand.

\- Nooo, whined the other, I want to lead the dance. You put your hand on my shoulder.

\- You’re sure about what you’re doing?

\- Absolutely not, he declared with a big smile as he slid one of his hands to Ten’s waist.

The other sighed and put his own hand on Hendery’s shoulder, looking at him expectantly.  
When the music started over, Hendery roughly moved fowards, almost making Ten tripped then he went backward, nearly crashing into Angie.

\- Oh my god, you’re so bad at this.

\- No I’m not you’re just bad at evaluating my dancing.

After a while though, Hendery got the hang of it and Ten was forced to admit that the dance was now pretty smooth. It was almost -almost- enjoyable.  
They stopped after the music repeated for the 50th time, both too tired to continue.  
Angelina was long gone into slumber at this point, and the moonlight that came from the window made clear that she was rightfully so.

If they were still alive the boys would be panting, but they weren’t so they just stared at each other.  
That’s when Ten knew he was wrong.  
Hendery’s eyes were not dead.  
If anything, they were more alive now than Ten had ever been.

The other gently smiled at him, gesturing to the sleeping girl.

\- We should let her sleep.

Ten only nodded and started making his way out of the room before being stopped by a voice.

\- Hey, Ten?  
\- Yeah?  
\- You’re a terrible dancer.  
\- Thank you, you too.

****

The issue with being dead is having way too much free time.  
And free time often leads to overthinking.

Hendery was really good at overthinking. And he was really dead.  
Maybe that’s the reason he found himself in the backyard at three in the morning that Sunday.

Ten was still sleeping in their tent, but that was for the better, as he might stop Hendery from doing what he was doing.

Angelina sure talked a lot but she mentioned something in particular that stroke his attention.  
A grave in the backyard. And he was pretty sure it wasn’t his, which didn’t let a lot of options.  
And another question poked inside his head as he did so. If he was under the same perimeter restrictions Ten had to endure, he had to have died somewhere in said perimeter, didn’t he? It wouldn’t make any sense otherwise. Yet the kid mentioned a grave, not a body.

He was not too long to find the tombstone, old, broken, eaten by lichen but very much there. The odd thing with it wasn’t that it was hidden, but more like it was stupidly far from the house to bury someone who lived inside it.

He took some of the mousses off the stone until he could see what was engraved in it.

« Here lies Lee Ten, 1789-1812» that was the official writing. But under, you could read « Rot in hell, demon » if you looked closely enough.  
⁃ Charming , muttered Hendery under his breath.  
Or like…his ‘’’’’breath’’’’’.

He took a step back, and froze in his steps.  
The grave.  
There was something wrong with it.  
And it took him only a few seconds to realize that the dirt on top of the grave was fresh, like it just had been turned.

He could have screamed, but no sound came out of his mouth.  
Was his body…  
Was his body…there?

Suddenly, a strong pain took ahold of his head, and he fell to the ground.

****  
\- Have a good day sweetheart!  
\- Bye, Mom.

Love. Calm. Warmth.

\- Hendery, you’ll never believe what the news is today.

Fun. Stress. Fun. Stress.

\- YOU WHAT?

Fear fear fear fear fear fear fear fear

\- Get out. Now. I’ll punch you out of the house if I have to.  
\- But dad-  
\- I’M NOT YOUR DAD!

Fear Anger Happiness Fear Anger Fear Fear Sadness

\- I’m Winwin.  
\- Hendery. Nice to meet you.

Hope.

\- Are you okay? Hey Hendery wake up!  
\- What the...

Hope. Hope. Hope. Hope.  
*******

\- WAKE UP!!

Hendery shot up, only to see a very sleepy looking Ten looking worriedly at him.  
Hendery felt cold. Numb. He has no idea what that was, but it was not close to pleasant.

\- Are you okay?? I think you fainted. I have no idea what that means because usually the people I saw fainting died shortly after but you can’t die since you’re already dead but then what was that please tell me you are okay why the hell did you leave the attic-

\- Ten. I’m okay. I promise. He said, searching in Ten’s eyes for any sign that the older was a tiny bit reassured.  
He found none.

\- What are you doing here? That’s my grave, it’s- it’s private.

\- I know I’m sorry but I just…I was looking for my body, to be honest.

Ten frowned. Honestly, Hendery never saw him looking that worried.

\- Your body? But why in hell would you do that? You’ve been dead for months, you actually want to see the state your body is in??

\- I mean, don’t you want to know?

\- Well, you saw my birthdate. The 27th of February 1789. Even if I opened my grave I wouldn’t find a body. Just…old broken bones.

Hendery hummed in comprehension, after sitting closer to the older male.

\- To be honest I am seeking an answer whereas the reason for my death. I mean, you died at…23, and I’m born in 1999 which makes me 20 years old. Those are not ages you’re supposed to pass at, you know?

Ten nodded. He knew very well.  
He was not supposed to die. He was supposed to escape with the person he loved and live a happy life.  
But things aren’t always as we want them to be, are they?

\- Don’t try to find out how you died. It doesn’t matter anyway.

\- That’s easy for you to say! You know how you died, don’t you? You can’t just expect me to stay into ignorance for my all life! Death. Whatever.

Not knowing what words could comfort the younger, Ten simply threw an arm over his shoulders and gently patted his back.

\- I wish I didn’t remember. With every day that passes, I wish that I never knew how I died, how horrible it was, how horrible it felt. It’s dumb right? 

\- No. I understand. Said Hendery now looking a bit defeated.

They stayed into a comfortable silence for a bit, neither of them daring to break it.  
Until the youngest found the courage to ask one of the questions that wouldn’t leave his head.

\- Ten.

\- Yes?

\- How did you die?

The other looked startled, then he bent his head down and focused on his translucid feet as if they were the most interesting thing he ever came upon.

\- What does « gay » mean?

Hendery was taken aback by the sudden question but answered nonetheless.

\- Hum… well, it may mean happy, but it most commonly means homosexual. A man who likes men or a woman who likes women. Why?

\- I think I’m gay. he blurted out

\- ….

\- No Hendery don’t-

\- Hi gay, I’m Hendery.

Ten rolled his eyes so hard that they could have fallen out his head. What a time for a dad joke.

\- I’m laughing so hard that I’m probably going to wake Angie up. Please feel the irony.

\- Sorry, sorry. Well, that’s quite the moment to come out. Please don’t tell me it’s related to your death.

Ten smiled sadly, and Hendery immediately became very, very serious. And concerned.

\- I had a happy life, overall - He started. As I previously said, the 1800s were not the funniest time ever but it was all I knew so I just…went along with it, you know? Anyway. There was only one problem. I fell in love with a man. And not any man, he was my sister’s fiancé. He was everything I ever dreamed of, intelligent, confident, caring. Everything but loyal to my sister apparently. And everything worked just fine but one day, my older brother walked in on us making out. The guy said that I attacked him and forced him to kiss me, and my brother beat me to death without waiting a single second and…my life was over just like that, in the matter of a few minutes. Dying feels awful, but what feels worth is not dying. Staying in the same house, seeing the same people, everyday day, without me. My sister and her fiancé got married by the daisy field, and soon they had a baby. My brother became a war hero. They all had those happy, fulfilling lives while I was just…a breath of air they could feel on their cheek every so often. So…yeah. I wish I didn’t remember that.

Hendery was speechless. This was not even close to what he was imagining.  
He said nothing, as there wasn’t anything to be said and instead hugged the other. Tightly.  
And after a moment, Ten hugged back.

\- I’m sorry. I didn’t know, I…I thought you were killed by some sneaky victorian assassin or something.

\- That would have had a certain aesthetic. 

He smiled lightly, not letting go off the older.

\- Come on, let’s get you some sleep.

\- What if I don’t sleep? I die?

\- Yeah, I’ll make sure of that.

***  
\- Hendery?

\- Yes Angie?

\- Do you think I’m weird?

Hendery’s fingers combed the girl’s hair gently, as he was preparing to braid her hair like he did every morning.  
He was kind of startled by the question.

\- Angie, I’ve been a ghost for three months, haunting a house alongside a guy who’s been 23 for 200 years. I don’t think that anything is weird anymore.

The little girl lightly chuckled, the sound bringing joy to Hendery’s heart. Laughing was something he truly missed.

\- That is true. But I made…I mean, something happened.

The ghost slightly frowned, but let her go on as he started braiding the long black hair.

\- Ten offered me a flower crown yesterday, and I was wearing it while I did my homework. And I wasn’t paying attention so it fell off my head and broke. Which is normal, you know, that happens, and I’m sure I saw it break. But the moment I took it in my hand…it was fixed! It was even prettier than before. And it just…happened, I did nothing!

Hendery didn’t answer, he just stopped his movements and turned to the girl.

\- You know, there’s something you do without realizing it.

She furrowed her brows.

\- What is it?

\- Every time we craft you a flower crown, you put it inside your closet, don’t you?

The little girl nodded as Hendery finished the braid that went down to her waist. Her hair really was beautiful.

He slowly walked to the dresser that stood against the wall and opened it to reveal about thirty flower crowns embalming the room with their sweet smells.

\- Don’t you notice anything? He asked

Angelina seemed clueless, as she stayed silent.

\- No flower died, Angie! They’re all here, looking as fresh as the day we picked them. That’s not how it’s supposed to be you know.

Her eyes widened, as her jaw dropped to the floor.

-….Yeah…I didn’t think about that…

\- Ten said something. When we met. He told me that humans couldn’t feel, hear or see us. But maybe..you know.- he hesitantly suggested

\- I’m not human?

\- I don’t know. I don’t know loads of humans who can see supernatural creatures and revive flowers.

The little girl just sat there doing nothing but looking a bit defeated.

\- Hey Angie, you know what I like to do when I’m trying to uncover a power?

\- No?

He smiled mischievously. 

\- I like to make experiments.

*******

Ten enjoyed the attic. Genuinely.  
It smelled good, it was dark, he had a little tent to sleep in.  
It was quiet.  
Above everything else, it was quiet.  
Which was exactly the reason why he was surprised to be woken up by what seemed to be fireworks.

He slowly got up and out of the attic to find an empty house - well, but for Mr.Bamerson who was religiously staying at his desk -. Knowing Hendery couldn’t go very far, he had to be in the garden and the child must’ve been with him.  
He could only hope that the girl was still alive.

Stepping out of the house confirmed that she was very much alive, more than ever as a matter of fact.  
She was sat on a balcony of the first floor of the mansion, Hendery watching her from the ground.

\- Ready Angie? Okay three, two, one!

Ten’s eyes widened in horror when he saw the young girl jumping from where she stood, falling to her death.  
But maybe he was a little fast spoken because before he could anything white light surrounded her and he had to do a double-take to be sure of what was happening.

She was flying.

Not just floating like Hendery and Ten, no. Actual flying. Let-me-touch-the-cloud flying.

His jaw hung low as he watched Hendery run-up to her and congratulate her, making sure she was okay and ticking « flying » out of the list of power they had to check.

\- You. You have about a minute to explain to me why Angelina is jumping off balconies. He almost screamed, startling Hendery.

\- Oh, Ten! Huh, hi? We wanted to know if she could fly.

\- Of course she can’t she’s human dumbass she’s…human…

Actually, the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. And he couldn’t deny the fact that Angie could fly.

\- Okay, whatever. What other power does she have?

Both the child and the younger ghost’s faces lit up, too happy to not be getting scolded.

\- Healing and flying are the only ones that we found for sure. And sensing the supernatural but that’s no news. Now we’ll get on-

Ten was spaced out, only half-listening to the list of things Hendery wanted to check. He was just…  
It hit him.  
He was not alone anymore.  
A teenage ghost and a tween….witch or whatever weren’t what he imagined, but he had company.  
He had friends.

And when he watched Hendery showing Angie how he could make little objects fly, when heard her laugh blend with Hendery’s voice he thought…  
This was okay. This was happy. The scene made him happy.

He allowed a smile to take possession of his face when the child stumbled onto a rock into a pound, soaking her clothes but laughing with all of her being.  
He still smiled when Hendery’s gaze met his, and when the other smiled back.  
This was happy.  
****  
He didn't even complain that night when Hendery laid down in the tent by his side, too deep in his thoughts to notice him.

\- Hey Ten?

\- Mmmh?

\- Angelina. What do you think she is?

He sighed, clearly having none of it. It was too late for this conversation.

\- I don't know, admitted the elder. - I never saw that. I'd say witch because Rosemary used to call herself that. She always told me things like "don't mind an old witch" and I brushed it off as being just a way of speech but...things are not as they seem, are they?

\- No they're not. Especially you.

\- What do you mean? He wondered.

\- When I arrived here you were all cold and bothered by everything. But when you saw Angelina falling down the balcony, you were going to run to save her. And you still bake her cookies every day after her lessons. That's nice of you.

If Ten still had blood, he would probably be a human tomato right now. He was not exactly used to compliments.

Luckily, his state of awkwardness vanished as a familiar girl got into the attic.

\- Ghosts? Are you there? she asked.

\- We're under the tent, come here.

She walked to them, awkwardly lying in between the two males - which revealed itself to be harder than she thought - but eventually managing.

\- Can I sleep here? My mom's home and I can hear her talking on the phone, it's keeping me from sleeping.

\- Of course Angie. said Ten, brushing her hair gently while drifting to sleep.

****

Falling asleep was as sweet as waking up was painful, and the fact that Ten was awoken by a scream didn't help.

He shot up, Hendery still laid beside him, to see Angelina staring at him with big round eyes.

\- What's happening?? Are you okay???

\- I'm...I'm more than okay!!!

\- Then what happened, why did you scream?? 

\- Ten! -She exclaimed. I can see you!!!

**************

« I can see you»!

The two ghosts stared at her in shock.

\- Oh my god! It’s…it’s you like for real! I can’t believe….I can’t believe this!!

Hendery was the first one to rush and hug her, quick to be followed by Ten.

\- Wow your hands!!! They’re translucid!! How cool is that!! She exclaimed

Both of the boys smiled as she asked more and more questions, to happy to finally be able to see her guardians.  
But something odd happened.  
She was talking and talking but one moment she just…stopped. Like that. In the middle of a word. She then apologized and went on with her questions, but something seemed off. 

The feeling didn’t disappear, it only grew stronger with time.

She was not as happy as before. She looked…conflicted. Yeah, conflicted was the word.  
She still let Hendery braid her hair, went to her classes, ate her plate of freshly baked cookies Ten made.

But it was not the same.  
One morning, as she was working in the living room, Hendery took the liberty to open her closet.  
All the flowers from the flower crowns had died. Each and every one of them.

He took some petals in his transparent hand and they turned into dust as soon as they touched his palm.  
Something was wrong, and they were all aware of it.

That’s how they found themselves all reunited in that attic, looking serious.

\- Angie. What’s the matter, huh? You’ve been acting off since you’re able to see us. Is something wrong? Are we scaring you? Asked Ten as gently as he could manage.

\- No, you…you’re not. It’s just…I don’t know if I should…

She looked deeply conflicted, but the battle that was going on in her brain settled as she blurted out what was on her mind.

⁃ I know you, she finally declared, pointing to a dumbfounded Hendery.

\- What?

\- Hendery. It’s not your real name, is it?

Now that Ten thought of it, Hendery said that he was called that. Not that it was his name.

\- Are you…are you Wong Kunhang?

Hendery seemed shocked at the girl’s questions. - Well yes but…but no one calls me that…

\- But it’s your legal name. And if you went missing one day, that’s the one they’ll put on the news. I..I read about you and how you died. It was all over the news actually. She confessed.

\- But…but Ten reads the newspaper every day- he declared, trying to give this story some sense- He would know if there ever was an article about me! Right Ten?

The other fell silent. He wished he didn’t already die, just so he could die again.  
Hendery was staring at him, growing more and more angry with every second.  
And Ten was growing more and more afraid. And guilty.

\- Look I don’t-

\- Give me. The newspaper. Now.

\- No Hendery I don’t want you to remember-

\- And since when are YOU the one deciding what’s good for me?- shouted Hendery, now looking seriously angered-. Since when are you the one dealing with my memory? You knew?! You knew all along and just…and expected me to be the perfect fool?? Fuck you Ten! Fuck you!

His voice was cold, sharp. It felt like a punch in the stomach. Or like a slap.

\- I- I didn’t mean to-

\- I don’t wanna hear it. Give me the newspaper or I’ll get it myself.

Ten didn’t budge. He just stood frozen on the creaking wood planks, too ashamed to look either at his friend or at the child.

\- Fine.

Hendery stood up and started searching the attic as if there was no tomorrow. Levitating objects, throwing them away, almost hitting Ten once or twice. He found the newspaper rather quickly, hidden under a pile of broken music instruments. Ten was bad at hiding things, may it be newspaper or secrets.

He pushed his hair back and started reading the page.

« GAY TEEN GOES MISSING: HOMOPHOBIA-RELATED CRIMES TOLL RISES

Wong Kunhang, a 19 years old boy, was declared missing only three weeks after his parents kicked him out of his house for coming out as gay. A classic tale of modern homophobia, leading chidden to homelessness, or in the worst case, death.  
The disappearance was reported by 21 years old Dong Sicheng; who accepted to be interviewed.

I: Good Morning, could you please introduce yourself.

S: My name is Sicheng. I was a friend of Hendery’s before…before he disappeared.

I: How did you meet him?

S: I’ve was kicked out from my place around the same time for the same reason, but I have the chance to be able to live with my boyfriend. So we helped him survive! Brought him food and clothes.

I: When was the last time you saw him?

S: … He was very weak. I told him to go find shelter so he got into the woods and…and I have no news. Nobody has.

I: What would you like to say to him, in the eventually of him reading this?

S: Please remember me, and don’t move from where you are. We will find you.

I: That will be all, thank you for your time.

Searches started with the goal to find the boy, be are fruitless as far as we know. If you encounter Kunhang please contact the authorities. In the meantime, action should be taken to protect kids for homophobia-related crimes and to see the numbers of death drop to zero. »

And below the article, a picture of him. Of human him. The one with light beige skin and rosy cheeks.

He was clutching onto the newspaper for dear life, the words turning in his head.

Please remember me. Please remember me. Please remember me

*********

\- I’m Winwin.  
\- Hendery, nice to meet you.

\- This is Yuta, my boyfriend. We can help you, you know. You’re not a bother.  
\- Hi man, I heard a lot about you. And that’s adorable, but I’m fine. I really am! Not against a bit of soup, but fine.

\- He’s not taking care of himself.  
\- I try to help him Yuta! I really do, but…he doesn’t want to be taken care of.  
\- Damn. In those times I curse myself for not being a healer.  
\- Don’t. You being a fighter helped me a lot. You can’t possibly save everyone.  
\- But we can do our best.  
\- Yes. We can do our best.

\- Are you okay? Hey Hendery wake up!  
\- What the…  
\- God, did you sleep outside while it was raining? Are you crazy or suicidal?  
\- Both.  
\- Shush. Eat that, I made it myself.

\- I’m okay.  
\- You’re dying.  
\- I’m not.  
\- Please listen to me. Across the woods, there’s a mansion. It’s the only one in the area, you can’t miss it. Go into its backyard, okay? And just…wait for Yuta and I to find you.  
\- Why would I do that Sicheng?  
\- You always told me that you wanted to pay us back for our help, didn’t you? Well, that’s the moment to do so. Please.  
\- …Okay.  
\- Hendery?  
\- Yeah?  
\- Remember.

*****  
\- « Remember me, and don’t move from where you are. We will find you » he finished, as the memories were slowly fading away.

He remembered now.  
Remembered his only friend, the only one who cared about him.  
He remembered the hunger, the thirst, the fever.  
He remembered walking aimlessly through the woods, searching for a mansion that could be nothing but a tale.  
He remembered stumbling upon the daisy field and falling to his knees, too weak to continue.  
He remembered dying.  
And he remembered waking up the day after.

\- I’m sorry I kept it from you, I-

\- Don’t. He shushed Ten before he could say anything, having none of it.

And with that, he went through a wall and stormed outside.

***********************

To say that the following week was tensed would be a huge understatement.

Ten was back to his old self, cold, annoyed by everything and everyone, secluded in his attic doing nothing but waiting, seated on the hardwood floor.  
Angelina avoided the two ghosts since their confrontation, eaten by the guilt of sparking a fight.  
And Hendery was nowhere to be seen. Oh, Ten caught a glimpse of him in the backyard one night, the moonlight making him look paler than ever, but their tent remained empty. Desperately empty.

They could have gone looking for one another.  
Both the ghosts were secluded to a small area, and there were only so many places you can hide in as a full-grown man.  
But Hendery’s anger and Ten’s guilt were building like a wall between them.

It’s not that Ten wanted to control what Hendery remembered.  
Well, it kinda was. But it was for his own sake.  
When you die, the last thing you want to do is remember the feeling of passing.  
It’s like your soul was dislocated from your body, like your feelings attacked a heart that was already too weak to beat, like all of your memories took possession of your brain at once and then…nothing. Emptiness. Void. It all disappeared in a matter of seconds.

And then you woke up.  
May it be in a bedroom or a daisy field.  
You remembered people you love. People you could never talk too again.  
You remembered people you hated. People who were going to be happier than you.

Ten wanted to keep Hendery from that.  
He would never admit it out loud, but he started to grow attached to the younger boy.  
To his enthusiasm. To his caring nature. To his weird experiments. To his smile.  
He was so stupid.

He laid down on the creaking floor, hoping to sleep the day away.  
When he woke up, he was welcomed by the sight of a colorful ornament.

A flower crown.

He shot up, now wide awake, and took the fragile present in his hands, before putting it on his head.  
Was it…

Another one.

Another crown was laying on the ground at his feet. And a third. And a fourth. A path of delicate flower crowns was now leading him out of the attic.  
He decided to follow it, carefully picking up each of the crowns on his way, praying for the Bamersons to be away from home - or they’d be welcomed by the very unusual sight of flying flowers.  
One after the other, the crowns led him to the corridor, through a bathroom, the staircase, the living room, all the way to the front door.  
He carefully opened it, cautious to make no sound but also anxious as to what was waiting for him.

He went through the daisy field, cautious not to stomp on any of the flowers, and finally arrived in the backyard.  
From there, he could make up Hendery’s frame.  
The other was busy doing hell knows what at the border of the forest.  
Thinking about it, he was probably trying to go away. Measuring for how long he could trespass the perimeter delimited by the mansion before vanishing.  
If the sight hurt Ten he showed none of it and just made his way to the other ghost who ignored him with all of his power.

\- Hendery. Don’t. You’re going to hurt yourself. he stated, his voice weaker than intended.

The other scoffed, finally acknowledging the elder.

\- Why would you care?

His tone was dry, sharp. Ten slightly bit his lip.

\- Because believe it or not I care about you!

\- Oh, say what now?

He finally stopped what he was doing and turned to the other ghost, towering over him.

\- You care about me so much that you kept the memory of my only friend away from me?

\- Yes! Yes Hendery. Look at you! If you continue to try getting into the wood to get to him, you’ll vanish away! 

\- So what. Not like anyone would care.

\- You don’t think your friend would? You don’t think Angelina would? Fuck Hendery, you don’t think I would???

If Ten could cry he would be a sobbing mess right now. But instead he just looked defeated, his body shaking a little.  
Hendery’s angry facade crumbled a bit at the sight, as he let out a deep sigh.

\- I just wanted you to…I wanted to keep you from the pain of remembering but…that what stupid and I shouldn’t have done it. I buried your body in my grave so that neither you or the family could stumble upon it while gardening or sightseeing. I’m sorry Hendery. Please, please believe me. 

It was quite the sight, sarcasm master Ten apologizing and speaking from the depth of his heart, a bunch of flower crowns attached to his arm.  
Hendery took one and placed it on the shorter’s head, smiling lightly.

\- You look a little bit less disgusting like that.

Ten scoffed a bit and took the younger in his arms, head buried in his chest as Hendery hugged back.

\- Well you, possibly, perhaps, maybe look a tiny bit decent.

Hendery’s smile grew wider at the remark.

\- I’m sorry for getting angry Ten. But please, never do that again.

\- Don't be, it was entirely my fault. The point is: lesson learned. 

Even though he still sounded a bit guilty, and pained, the boy still looked like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest. His mind cleared up, and his features relaxed.

⁃ Are you…are you the one who made a flower crown's path? He asked, kind of out of the blue.

Hendery pulled away from the hug, looking confused.

\- A what? Huh..no?

\- Then who…

They looked at each other for a few seconds before stating together:

\- Damn Angelina.

Said little girl got out from the bush she was hiding in, looking as satisfied as she was guilty.

\- So...ya'll are gonna make out or what?

Hendery erupted into laughter, as a very shocked Ten started scolding her.  
But what he was not expecting was for Hendery to face him suddenly and place a quick peck on his cold lips, only a few seconds before pulling away with a victorious smile, making Angie squeal lightly.

\- What the-  
\- Hey, you gotta give the people what they want. He smiled, frankly this time, before making his way back to the house.

Ten just stood there, frozen, processing all of the information.  
Wait wait wait.  
Hendery did what?!


	2. 2

Finding Dong Sicheng became a priority from this point

Problem being: he appeared to deserve the title « ghost » more than Ten and Hendery combined.

No online traces, whatsoever - aside, of course, from the news article he featured in.  
No old facebook or cringey abandoned skyblog, no email or address, nothing. Truly, to be this absent from the web the boy had to be consciously trying not to be found.

That being said, he could not erase himself from Hendery’s mind, and the ghost was quick to share his memories with the other two.  
He met him a few days after being kicked out of his house, as Sicheng was searching the wood for some rare eccentric plant to make a fancy soup or something of the kind. The boy could be described as very gentle and soft-looking, never expressing any strong emotions and talking with a very soothing voice.  
He offered Hendery something to eat and a bit of water, and against all the odds that seemed to have chosen Hendery as their scapegoat, continued coming to him day after day offering food and shelter -offering that Hendery declined every time- sometimes bringing his boyfriend Yuta along who was mostly silent and definitely leaving a weird feeling but nice nonetheless.

That being said, he had no idea as to why his friend knew of this mansion, or why he asked him specifically to go there. « Please remember me, and don’t move from where you are. We will find you ». He repeated the phrase in the news article. Like he knew Hendery would read it. All things considered, he probably thought that he was still alive, and the thought let Hendery’s dead heart aching.

Searching Yuta revealed itself to be just as fruitless, mainly because the ghost had no idea of what his last name could have been and « Yuta » was too common of a name to solely allow them to identify the boy.

Honestly, Hendery would have cried out in frustration but luckily Ten and Angie comforted him as they continued to investigate.

Started what they called the « Angie’s scrutinies ».

Essentially, that was a fancy way of putting « the kid does the investigating work ‘cause the ghosts happen to be subjected to vanishment if they get too far from the house ».  
It was also shorter. An undeniable quality.

They knew Hendery had to cross the forest where he stayed at in order to get to the mansion. Meaning, Sicheng was somewhere across said forest.  
Which, let’s be honest, was referencing a very wide terrain but nothing’s as wide as the entire earth so it sure was a good place to start.  
The ghosts were a bit remorseful and scared to send Angelina alone in the woods but the kid was just too happy to be able to help and finally do something, and argued that she had powers. She was not defenseless.  
A weak argument considering she only showed defensive abilities but it’s always harder to catch a flying teen than a regular one, isn’t it?

But there was still one last problem they had to deal with.  
The Bamerson.

It was safe to say that both Julianne and Christopher were self-absorbed human beings, but they were not monsters either and still cared about little Angie.   
If the inattentive and distant behavior of said child went unnoticeable at first, the afternoon spent in the attic instead of studying, the empty beds at night and the complaints from the private teacher denouncing a very absent-minded Angelina didn’t and her parents started to grow worried.

Even more problematic: as she grew more powerful her abilities became harder to control, and the ghosts could only keep so much from being seen by her parents, whom starting to get weirded out by the objects they swore were not at this place when they last checked, Angelina’s feet who didn’t always quite touch the ground and who never got hurt anymore no matter how hard she fell - remember, she is very clumsy. Falling was not that unusual. 

\- They will never let her go in the woods alone.

Ten, Angelina and Hendery were sat in the attic, discussing their plans as they liked to do when they were stuck on something.

\- I know Ten but I could try to sneak out, couldn’t I? Like…during the night! They don’t check my room, do they? Argued Angie.

\- They do.

The other two turned to Hendery, a slightly weirded out look on their faces.

\- What? I wanted to make sure Angie was able to sleep okay?! Anyway, your mom had the same idea. I don’t know if she does it every night, all things considered.

\- We can’t risk it. She would have no excuse if Mrs. Bamerson found her bed empty. « Sorry mom, I was just strolling alone in the forest in the middle of the night to find an unknown guy one of my two ghost friends that haunts the house told me about ». Yeah, not happening. Besides, I just made a point: you’re not there on your own while it’s dark. No matter how important this Sicheng guy might be.

\- He’s got a point, Angie. Approved the younger ghost.

She slightly pouted, her elbows slouching down a bit as she nervously tapped her fingers on the attic’s creaky wood floor.

\- Guys. Oh my god, guys!! She suddenly blurted out, her face lighting up, startling the two ghosts. « - Who said I had to go there alone??? »

The two ghosts shared a look, then turned to her.

\- Angie you know we can’t leave-

\- Yes Ten, I know but hear me out: I can suggest going for a walk in the forest with my parents! It will be at day, raise no suspicion and we can go all the way to the other side of the wood without it being weird or me being in danger!!

The other two just stared at her, mouth agape, before Ten dramatically went to hug her while wiping a fake tear from his eyes.

\- Oh hell that’s my girl, being all mischievous and clever.

Hendery simply chuckled at the sight, coming in to hug as well before murmuring:

\- That’s a genius idea, Angie. But…while you’re at it, try to enjoy the day with your family, right? Don’t make it all about us.

The girl pulled out and gently smiled, radiating genuine affection and happiness.

\- Hendery…you guys are my family.  
***

*************

Angelina left early with her confused-looking dad, to a day-long trip into the forest.  
To say that Ten and Hendery were worried was an understatement.

They were not that concerned about the potential dangers of the woods, but more about the abilities of the child that grew wilder as she became more powerful.  
What if she started flying out of nowhere?  
What if she started to create that weird light like the other day?  
Her dad would freak out, and it would not end up very well.

Speaking of parents, Mrs. Bamerson was slowly but surely starting to be a bother.  
At first, it was just checking if Angie was asleep, nothing too problematic.

But then it became a little weirder.

Checking the daises every so often to see that a lot seemed to be missing. Telling Angelina to do less noise when the ghosts were the cause of it. Checking nine times that every object was at the right place and that no, the chocolate chips definitely weren’t on the table last time she left the kitchen.

That’s why if her visit in the attic that day was a little impromptu, it was not that surprising.  
Both the ghosts were talking there when she slammed the trap that led to the room open, causing them to immediately shut their mouths.

\- Angie? Are you there?

Of course, no one answered her call, and she fully stepped into the attic making the floor do a very irritating cracking sound.

\- I swear I heard…why is there a tent here. Is Angelina playing in this…room? God, it’s so messy…

Hendery squinted his eyes and hesitantly made his way towards the woman, ignoring Ten’s hands on his wrist that were trying to stop him, and lightly slapped her hand.  
She immediately jumped in surprise, screaming, looking for some rat or…or a big bug. Something that could have touched her.  
But she saw nothing. This was weird. This room was so weird. Needless to say, she didn’t think twice before leaving the attic without looking back.

\- Did she…feel me tapping her? Asked a very incredulous Hendery.

The other ghost got out of his freezing state, immediately rushing in front of Hendery visibly holding himself from slapping him as well.

\- That’s beside the point! Why the hell did you do that? It was pretty clear she could hear us at least a bit dumbass, why did you need to push it? It’s stupid and dangerous! Snapped Ten

Hendery remained unfazed and simply cooed at the elder.

\- Aw. You’re worried about me?

\- I…I’m not worried I’m concerned. He said, backing off a little

\- Thank you for showing us the perfect use of homophones. That’s cute.

\- I’m not cute shithead you’re cute- wait no

\- Wait, yes. Replied Hendery with a victorious smile.

\- ANYWAY. Interrupted Ten, deeply wanting for that smirk to get off Hendery’s features. « - So. Mrs. Bamerson can slightly hear us and touch us. Well, fuck. »

The conclusion made the younger smile as he leaned on the floor, staring at the ceiling.

\- I mean…it’s not that surprising, is it? You said the first person to be able to sense you was this Rosemary woman and that she was Mrs.Bamerson’s great grandmother and Angelina’s great great grandmother. So if the…powers or whatever are transmitted genetically, it was foreseeable.

Angriness wear off Ten’s face and was replaced by a very confused expression.

\- Are transmitted genetic-what? What does that mean?

\- Dude, you’re joking. Said Hendery with a seep sigh.

\- Did you just dude-zone me?

\- So you’re telling me that you learned « dude-zone » but not « genetically »?

\- The owners of the house use « dude » more than…geni..genit…genet…whatever.

Hendery was now staring at him like you would stare at a child learning how to walk. Over the past few months, he discovered Ten to be very keen and clever, so much that he sometimes forgot how outdated his general knowledge was.

\- Don’t worry it doesn’t matter.

\- Ugh, science. He scoffed. You know a lot of things, though.

If Hendery could have blushed, he probably would’ve. Not so much at the compliment, if it was one. But at the way Ten was staring at him in awe like he held all the knowledge in the world and was the most interesting person ever. And maybe, maybe Hendery enjoyed it a little. Maybe he enjoyed seeing a smile on his pretty features. Maybe he liked the gleam of interest that was shining in the elder’s eyes.

\- I mean… everybody knows what genetic is. It’s not like I’m intelligent or something.

\- You are intelligent. Immediately assured Ten without thinking too much of it.

\- Did you just compliment me?

\- Oh, shut up.

They could have gone on with the bickering-flirting for ages but they were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening: Angie and her dad were back.

Or at least that’s what the ghosts thought.  
But they waited a minute that turned into five, and no little girl had triumphally arrived in the attic to report the day’s event.

They started to get curious and cautiously made their way to the living room, only to witness Mrs. Bamerson on the verge of tears angrily throwing a pillow at her husband’s face.

\- For God’s sake Christopher, how could you?!! You bastard!!!

\- Honey I swear I did everything I could to-

\- HOW THE HELL DID YOU MANAGE TO LOSE OUR DAUGHTER IN THE BLOODY WOODS???

*******

How the hell did you manage to lose our daughter in the woods? 

The words slapped the ghosts in the face as surely as if they were in a fight.  
And apparently it affected Mr.Bamerson as well, who started shaking.

\- Julianne listen to me! We were in the center of the forest and she called me to show me a mushroom, but then she just…vanished!

His wife was definitely not convinced nor reassured.

\- You’re telling me. That our kid disappeared? Like that, poof? Bloody hell Christopher what are you, 5? She’s an eleven years old in a forest you don’t let her go anywhere without supervision how hard is that to follow!!

She started screaming at the last sentence, then let out an audible sigh as she grabbed her coat.

\- I’m going to be looking for her in the woods. Make yourself useful and declare that she’s missing to the police. But trust me, Christopher, you’re not hearing the end of this.

She put on her shoes and loudly slammed the front door shut as she exited the house, practically running. Mr. Bamerson, on the other hand, slumped on the couch, his head in his hand, looking as if he was about to explode.

\- Fucking kid. Can’t keep her direction for five bloody minutes.

Ten would have ghost-punched him for saying that is he was not too preoccupied with the dialogue that just occurred.

\- Hendery, what if something happened to her? What if she has the power to become invisible and she can’t turn back? What if she got kidnapped? What if she-

The latter stopped his worried rambling by putting his hands on the smaller’s shoulders, gazing directly into his eyes.

\- She’s okay. She has to be.

He wanted to be a better reassurance as he hated to see Ten in this state of panic but he was honestly just as worried, if not even more. He grabbed Ten’s hand and hurried out of the mansion.  
It’s only when his wrist and ankles started disappearing that Ten understood what the latter was doing.

\- HENDERY STOP! That’s the limit of our perimeter, you’re going to vanish if you go further!! He worriedly shouted.

\- I need to make sure she is fine! He said, not looking at Ten anymore. In fact, looking anywhere but at him

\- No, you need to survive!

\- I’m already dead, why would that matter?!

His words broke something in Ten’s heart. Sure…sure, but…  
Not having any words left, he ran right after the younger, slowly fading as well.  
If nothing worked before, this action surely made Hendery react.

\- What the fuck are you doing?

\- You want to play dumb? Fine, I’m playing along with you.

Hendery immediately took him in his arms without missing a beat and carried him all the way to the mansion’s garden, away from the border of the perimeter they could live in.  
They just stared at each other, both breathing heavily, Hendery’s pale hands still a bit too faded, Ten still in his arms as the other’s hold was making pulling away impossible for him, as if the other was worried he’d fly away.

And…and they kissed.

It was out of the blue, it was cliché, but it felt like the thing to do. The right thing to cope with their pain and worry. The right thing to calm the other.  
It was right, and it felt so.  
The kiss turned into two, then three, their cold lips meeting each other, craving the warm feeling that erupted in their freezing bodies.

They eventually parted - in those times were they happy to not need air- and silently sat in the grass, Ten eventually just laying into the flowers.

\- You never do that again. He ordered, breaking the silence.

Hendery turned his head to the older, enjoying the sight of the flowers brushing his pale cheeks. What he would do to make them turn rosy.

\- What? Kissing you?

The other got flustered, and it took him a few seconds to regain composure.

\- Huh? No- well I guess- maybe. But that’s not what I meant.

\- What was it then?

Ten turned to his side, facing Hendery.

\- I know that it may be hard to understand but…you are not dead, Hendery. Not alive either, I give you that. But you are still someone. You are still important. SO please, please never try to leave here again. You’ll vanish, and I don’t want that.

The latter stayed silent a moment and finally shook his head in agreement.

\- Under one condition: the same goes for you.

\- Well, guess what, I’m not dumb enough to willingly run out of the perimeter.

There, that was the « regular Ten ». Hendery smiled. He liked that one too.

\- Oh, shut up.

\- Ahaha you wish.

He suddenly became serious again, his gaze lost somewhere in the sky.

\- I feel so guilty about Angie going missing.

\- Me too. Sicheng’s my friend and if I had never talked about him then maybe…

He paused, anxiously ruffling his hair, then sighed.

\- No. Feeling guilty won’t help. Now we can just sit, and wait.

***

Nothing came out of the police’s search of the forest, and the household grew more and more tense as the hours passed.

By midnight, Mr. and Mrs. Bamerson had officially refused to talk to each other.  
By three in the morning, Mr fell asleep, Mrs watching some dumb show on the television to keep her mind off Angie.  
By eight Ten opened the girl’s closet and was met by the sight of a bunch of flower crowns. Dead flower crowns.  
By noon Mrs. Bamerson had to go to work, and her husband went back to sleep.  
By three in the afternoon, Ten thought that Hendery was going to have a panic attack from the sheer wait of any news.  
By seven, someone knocked loudly at the front door.

The four occupants of the mansion ran - or floated- as fast as they could to get to the entrance and Mr. Bamerson opened it, revealing a tall, charming young man with sharp features and rather long hair holding a girl with rosy skin, sweet eyes and waist-long ebony hair by the hand. Definitely not a cop, but it was the last thing they could care about.

\- Are you the Bamersons? He spoke up. My name is Nakamoto Yuta, and I wanted to know if this child could be your daughter?

******

\- Are you the Bamersons? He spoke up. My name is Nakamoto Yuta, and I wanted to know if this child could be your daughter?

Her parents immediately rushed to their kid, hugging the life out of her as she assured them that she was okay.  
Ten and Hendery would have done the same if there wasn’t the risk of Mrs. Bamerson feeling them.  
Worry aside, Angie seemed okay, more than okay actually. A victorious smile was illuminating her features.

\- Ten…this Yuta guy…started Hendery once the emotion wore off.

\- Is he THE Yuta???

\- He is THE Yuta!

Ten’s eyes widened in bewilderment. So this guy was Sicheng’s boyfriend? Angie actually managed to find them??  
Said guy remained calm all along, slightly smiling at the Bamerson’s hugging session.  
His ears stayed perked up at all times, as if he was alert, trying to catch the glimpse of a sound.

It’s all it took for Hendery to shout « YUTA!!!! » at the top of his lungs, making Angelina, her mother and Yuta jump in surprise. Mr. Bamerson only looked very confused, like someone cracked a joke everyone but he could understand.

But Hendery didn’t care, it had worked! Yuta could hear him! He now started to question if anyone around him was actually human - aside from poor Mr. Bamerson. Oh, but who cares.

That being said the young man just brushed the noise off as being caused by the wind and proceeded to answer all of the worried parents’ questions.  
He ended by kneeling in front of Angie and said those words, a bit too loudly maybe:

« If you ever get lost in the forest again, please remember me and stay where you are. I will come to help you, okay? »

This sentence again.  
Angie nodded to that and thanked him as he returned to the woods, leaving a very shocked family behind.

\- Angelina Isabel Beatrice Bamerson, I swear to god that if you ever disappear like that again I’ll make sure that you’ll never be able to leave the house until you turn eighteen. Am I being clear? Angrily stated her mother.

\- Yes, I’m sorry, I got carried away. Sorry, I scared you.

She then quickly turn around and rushed to her room, the ghosts after her, their heads full of questions.  
She slumped on her bed, and only then did she allow a huge grin to enlighten her face.

\- OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS I FOUND THEM!!!!

They both broke into smiles as well and sat by her side as she happily went on with her story.

\- So, I got in the woods with my dad and I started wandering around pretending that I was catching butterflies or some lie of the sort. Seriously, I felt like a CIA agent that was so cool. Anyway, after a while, I started to…feel something. Like a tingling, you know? And when I looked at my hand it was glowing, and the light that spurted out of it was now leading me deeper among the trees. Naturally, I made the choice of following it but that’s when realized that I had gone too far, and dad was not next to me anymore…And it just got scary, like the night was falling and it was getting cold…But luckily, this Yuta guy was out picking mushrooms. Like really weird looking mushrooms. Do you think he makes potions? That would be awesome! So as I was saying, I told him I was lost and where I lived and he like…dropped everything and brought me back home. He’s a nice lad! 

She then stopped to take her breath again, and Hendery stopped her before she could start to tell more of the story.

\- Did you mention Sicheng or I to him?

\- Well actually I did, she said proudly. I told him I was looking for his boyfriend because a friend of man knew him. He just smiled and told me that he had to make sure his friend was at my house. But I have a question.

\- Yes? Inquired Ten.

\- Why didn’t he come to look for you Hendery? Or Sicheng? I mean…if they knew you were here which they obviously did as Sicheng was the one to tell you to come to this mansion, and if they have no idea you’re dead, why wouldn’t they try to contact you or pay a visit?

Both the ghosts shared a thoughtful look. Truthfully, they didn’t think about that.

\- I think the first question would be…why did Sicheng ask you to come here in the first place? If a friend of mine was dying the first location I would send him to wouldn’t be an inhabited mansion across the woods! Asked Ten.

Hendery furrowed his brows. The couple was surrounded by mysteries, that was for sure.

\- Maybe he knew.

Ten and Angie jolted as he talked.

\- Guys, he knew! Exclaimed Hendery. I was dying in the forest, and I wouldn’t let them take me home nor to the hospital. The last resort? Send me to a place where I’d turn into a ghost!!! That’s…that’s twisted but damn I’m talking to a 200-something year old and to a teenager who sees supernatural creatures while being dead myself, what is not twisted about that situation!- He spurted out.

Ten shook his head in agreement as he crossed his arms.

\- I mean…that would make sense. He heard you as well when you shouted his name. Maybe he knew about me?

They all sat there in a curious silence, a lot of questions hanging in the air, answerless.

\- Okay, that’s enough creepy discoveries for tonight. Angie, you get some sleep. Thank you so much for your help.

The girl smiled, as she hugged Ten, then Hendery tightly.

\- Goodnight guys.

They cautiously exited the room and made their way to the attic, only to slump down on the floor under the tent.

\- Hendery?  
Said ghost was surprised to hear Ten’s call, as the elder usually doze off very easily.

\- Hmm?

\- We’re going to find your friends. We already did, but they’re going to come back. Just please, promise me one thing. He pleaded.

\- Yes?

\- This time, if they offer help…take it okay? I mean…I know you’re very intellectually limited and that’s okay, not everyone can be as great as me but please recognize that some people care about you.

\- « Some people? » smirked the other.

\- Oh hell, that’s the only thing you remember from all I said?

Hendery smiled, genuinely this time, and took one of Ten’s translucid hand in his own.

\- I promise.

\- Thank you. Good night, Hendery.

\- Good night, some people.

Let’s say that if Ten knew how to use Google, he surely would be searching up « how to kill someone a second time » right now.  
*******

Frustration: The feeling of being upset or annoyed as the result of being unable to change or achieve something.  
Also known as: Ten and Hendery’s state for the following days.

Or seemingly everyone’s state.

They were eager to see Yuta again, so was Angie.  
And her parents were still in a silent war over her father losing her.

Luckily for all of them, Yuta was a clever guy.

It took him four days to be before the Mansion again, loudly ringing the doorbell.  
But this time, he was not alone. Another young man was accompanying him, a very soft looking one with pretty features. And in his hand, a big red scarf.

Mrs. Bamerson hurriedly opened the front door, and let the two boys in as the ghosts and the child came running after her.

\- Good morning?

\- Good morning madam - awkwardly said Yuta, bowing slightly - I am the man who brought your daughter back. I wanted to know if she was okay, and I uh- I brought her scarf back.

The woman hurried them in as she went to the kitchen to serve them some tea.

\- Angelina dear! Come here for a moment!

The girl sat on the couch next to her mom, faking calmness, as she smiled towards the two visitors.

\- This lovely man told me that you forgot your scarf…It is yours, right? I have no memory of buying it.

If only you were home more often, thought Angie. But she had to give her mother that she, indeed, didn’t own any scarf of any kind. That being said she went along with whatever Yuta was saying. She needed him to stay, and to communicate with Hendery.

\- Yes, it is! Thank you so much!!! Humm…who are you though? She asked, directing her question towards the other boy.

\- I’m his friend, Sicheng. I just tagged along.

The girl could have screamed in joy. Finally!!! Finally, they had found him!!

Hendery didn’t hold himself back, though, and this time Ten was not the man to stop him as he was smiling as well. A victory is always a victory.  
Mrs. Bamerson flinched as she slowly massaged her temples, before excusing herself to the kitchen to make some more tea.

They did not start talking before the water in the kettle started loudly boiling, but they were now unstoppable.

\- Hendery!! Hendery are you there??? Asked Sicheng, his eyes set on the void in front of him.

\- I am. I am!!! Oh my god, Sicheng I’m so happy to see you, I-

He went to hug his friend, but his arms went through him.

Oh.

\- You can’t…you can’t hear me right?

There was genuine sadness in his voice. Being a ghost meant not being perceived by humans but as both Angie and Yuta revealed themselves to be capable of it he hoped…It was stupid. He shouldn’t have.

\- No, he can’t. But Hendery said he was here and he was happy to see you! - spoke Yuta, making his boyfriend smile. - Could you wear something on your wrist to shoulder where you are? It’d be easier to…communicate. I hear you but I can’t see you.

Ten quickly grabbed to elastics bands from Angie’s hair and put them around both his and Hendery’s wrist before turning back to the Japanese, waiting expectantly.

\- So. Where do we start? Shyly asked Angie.

\- First off, why are there two floating elastics?? Isn’t Hendery the only ghost here? Inquired Sicheng.

Right. They had no reason to know about the « Ten » part.

\- No there already was one, his name is Ten. He’s like…he’s old. To what Ten answered by hitting her with a cushion.

Yuta didn’t seem to care as his eyes brightly lit up.

\- I knew it! It wasn’t just a tale, yes!!! Okay, your turn to ask us a question.

Ten and Hendery shared a silent look before dictating their question to Angie - that way Sicheng could hear as well-.

\- How are we able to hear, see and touch them while the others aren’t? And I’m also able to fly, and heal. Why am I able to do that??

Yuta stayed silent for a while before turning to Sicheng’s whose smile just turned wider and wider.

\- You…you can see them? You’re incredibly powerful!! - he coughed a little, trying to gain back some composure- Anyways, this is going to be a lot to bear and maybe it will sound super weird but hum…you are a witch! And a very competent one for that matter. Especially for your age. He said in a soothing, melodic voice.

Angie raised a brow. It was not too big of a surprise, but hearing it from someone else was destabilizing.

\- I’m a witch as well. Or a wizard, if you prefer, I don’t care and gender is fake. I can’t heal or fly, it’s not part of my abilities, but I am an excellent potion maker! Added Yuta.

She nodded slowly, still trying to process everything. The ghosts were dead silent for once - pun intended.

\- So…Sicheng is human? Angie asked, to with the latter answered with a nod. - Yuta and I are wizards, Hendery and Ten are ghosts. Wow. Not what I expected when I moved out of town.

Sicheng smiled fondly at the girl. He remembered being really, really destabilized when he found out his love interest could do magic. Honestly, destabilized was an understatement and a huge one. But hey, what is the world without a little magic after all?

\- I still have a question. -Said Hendery, breaking the deafening silence.- When you found me weak in the forest, why did you ask me to get to this mansion? And why didn’t you come to look for me sooner?

There, THE question was asked.  
Angie repeated all that the ghost just declared, and Sicheng tensed a bit, his face crumpling with remorse.

\- I…You refused any help and I couldn’t…I couldn’t really risk you running away if you were to find out that there was no oven in our house, but a cauldron. And anyway, you wouldn’t have followed me. So instead, I asked you to get here because I heard Yuta talk about this place. He said that there were rumors it was haunted after an old lady at to be taken away for « hearing voices », or so said her son. - Ten’s chest tightened at the story. Rosemary…was he the cause of her departure? - And I just…I didn’t know what to do so I hoped that maybe, if you ever were to…to pass away, it would be better if it was here you know? Maybe you’d turn into a ghost! That being said I hade no idea people inhabited the house, sorry for the bother Angie. He sadly said.

The girl wore her brightest smile before looking at him.

\- No don’t think that, really. Thank you so much for saving Hendery! And for coming to me.

Sicheng brightened up a bit before continuing his story.

\- It was even more stupid as there was no guarantee that you wouldn’t just die, but I had no idea of that. The only people that turn into ghosts are those who deserve a second chance.

He stopped, smiling sadly - but genuinely smiling nevertheless - at the void in front of him, his human eyes keeping him from seeing his friend, but he was there, listening cautiously to his every word.

\- You deserve a second chance, Hendery. He concluded.

The latter scoffed, his eyes falling to the ground.

\- It’s too late. This is my second chance, don’t you see it? And it’s not ideal and definitely not what I imagined, but…

He let his gaze linger on Angelina and Ten who were both sat on the couch, looking at him expectantly. A fond smile found it’s way to his lips.

\- It’s enough. I’m more alive now than I ever was. He affirmed.

\- Well that’s the reason why we’re here - interrupted Yuta before Angie could repeat anything to Sicheng-. There is a way we can make you even more alive.

\- What?

Yuta smirked to the void in front of him, knowing that it was not as empty as it seemed.

\- Literally alive.

************

A way to bring you back from the (not) dead. Both of you.  
Alive.

Words were pounding in Ten’s head as if someone was repetedly shouting them at him.  
Alive?  
What did that even mean. He forgot, after all this time.

But then, there was Hendery.  
He was young, he was joyful, he had a future and hopes. And Ten…Ten only had Hendery. And Angelina of course, but it was different. He loved her as a daughter, and hell he loved her with all of what’s remaining of his heart, but the younger ghost…It was not like a brother. It was not like a friend, either.

It was like someone you’d never want to lose, not in a million years.  
Hendery needed to live. They needed to do this.

Yuta explained everything carefully, until he was cut by the appearance of Mrs.Bamerson.  
But he told enough.  
Ghosts are not dead beings. They are in a weird place between life and death, and it only takes so much for them to fall on one side or the other.  
A very powerful magic was vital for anyone to bring a ghost back, but there was more to it. A lot more.  
The spell was of the most complicated one can cast. And as skilled as Angie may be, she lacked experience and it was not exactly like she could go around casting anti-death spells in her backyard, especially with her mother who was just growing more and more suspicious of the place - thank hell, she was away for some time.  
And there were required ingredients as well, and not your usual tomato and cheese. Saltpeter, sage, wood, cristal, blood and objects of love.

So.  
Saltepeter, Angie found on the attic wall. Same goes for the wood: the hardwood floor was more than enough.  
Yuta provided the sage by discreetly throwing some in the daisy field as he walked in front of the house, early in the morning.  
The Bamerson’s wine glasses were made out of cristal. Of course they were.  
Blood - Ten and Hendery hated that part was all of their non-living hearts- was by far the easiest component to find as the girl was literally made out of it. Both the ghosts made her swear that she wouldn’t use more than a drop, though.

But then came objects of love.  
What the hell was that.  
An engagement ring? Some flowers? A necklace?  
Neither of them had a clue as to what it might refer too, and just hoped that they could do without it.

Angie immediately started to work on the spell, hidden in the attic, reading some corny old books she found there alongside the notes Yuta gave her.

And one day, as she was practicing -again-, a vivid white light erupted from her hands, making the walls shake with it’s power.  
It should have been great news.  
It was not.

As the girl stepped out of the attic she was met with her furious-looking mom, blood dripping from a fresh cut on her cheek, the glass chandelier that was once hung into the corridor splattered on the ground at her feet.

⁃ Mom! Are you okay?

The woman’s fist clenched, as she stood up, careful not to step in the glass.

⁃ That’s it. That’s it! Either I am going crazy, or there is something seriously wrong with this house! Noises, lights, objects that disappear or change places, I’m ready to close my eyes on all of it. But now the walls are trembling? This place is dangerous!

⁃ I don’t think it was-

⁃ I’ve had enough, we’re moving. I’ll tell your dad and call the real estate agent, I want to be out of here next Monday.

Angelina stood there, mouth agape, eyes wide open, petrified. Next Monday, next Monday….  
So she had only three days to resurrect the ghosts??

⁃ Mom we can’t just move out like that! What about grandma Rosemary’s heirloom? What about all of my things?

⁃ Three days are more than enough to pack everything. And yes we can, we’ll go back to the city. Weren’t you the one who said you wanted to go to a regular school instead of having a private teacher? Continued Mrs.Bamerson, not calming one bit.

Angelina couldn’t answer to that, and her silence was enough for her mother to understand she had won the argument.  
She went away with a satisfied smile that Angelina wished she could make disappear.

She ran back into the attic to find her two friends, whose smiles dropped as soon as they noticed her disheveled state.

⁃ Guys, change of plans. She said between to breaths. - We’re bringing you back tomorrow.

*****

That’s how they found themselves in the attic on Monday morning, as the preparation took longer than expected.

The girl was dead serious as she traced some intricate lines on the floor, which she said helped her to channel her energy. She took some saltpeter out of the wall on putting it all over the previously drawn lines, before smashing a wine glass on top of it spreading crystal shreds all over the hardwood floor.  
She then placed the sage down, before taking a deep breath in.

\- Okay, guys. Almost everything is ready, aside for my blood and objects of love, but we’ll have to do without the last one. I…I don’t know if I can do this though…

Ten kneeled in front of her, smiling gently, quickly to be joined by Hendery.

\- I know you can. You’re the most powerful and courageous girl I ever met, witch or not. Trust in yourself, okay?

\- Because we trust in you. Gently added Hendery.

She nodded slightly, trying to gain some confidence back.

\- Thank you, both of you. I really want to do it right.

Both of the ghosts smiled at her, before rising up and going to stand at the center of the lines alongside with all of the ingredients.  
They were facing each other, anxiety easy to spot on both or their expressions. They tightly held hands as if their lives depended on it.  
Because well, maybe it did.

\- Ready to be back amongst the living? Asked Hendery.

Ten’s eyes slightly darkened as he bowed his head.

\- I don’t know, I…I’ve been dead for so long….I don’t know if there is a place in the world for me now. It aged without me.

\- Hey hey hey. Said Hendery, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. - You have a place, okay? And it’s right next to me, and Angelina. You heard what Sicheng said: ghosts are people who deserve a second chance. Are you willing to take it with me?

A soft smile grew on Ten’s feature as he stared at the younger.

\- Shut up, you’re being cliché.

\- Everything is ready now - said Angelina, cutting their discussion -.. Oh my god, I’m really doing this.

She took a shred of glass and lightly cut her finger, drawing small drops of blood from it that crashed onto the ground.  
As she started to recite the spell Hendery clutched onto Ten for dear life, and the latter did the same. There was no way one of them would let the other go.

\- Qui vocat industria hoc mundo vivere rursus dignus uterque eorum cordibus, qui fuit mortuus est nimis longum est. Liceat eis habere secundo casu adhuc et sancti elevantur ad superficiem globe

White light once again spurted out of her hands, but for longer than it ever did before.  
It flew across the attic, covering Ten and Hendery into a light shimmer as it enveloped around them.  
The light made its way around their ankles, their legs, their arms, their faces, and finally, finally, it reached their hearts…

And everything went black.

Ten’s eyes fluttered open after a few seconds of unconsciousness.   
Angelina and Hendery were both lying on the floor as well, and he was relieved to see that they were both breathing.  
Wait.  
Wait.  
BOTH breathing????

He turned his head to Hendery, and he couldn’t believe his eyes.  
He was human. Alive!  
His chest slightly rode up and down as his lungs filled with air. His nails and cheeks were of delightful pink color. His lips were red. His feet and hands weren’t translucid anymore.

He eventually woke up and immediately broke into a smile.

\- Oh my god, oh my god!! Angelina, you did it!!! He exclaimed as he took the more or less conscious child in his arms.

\- Where is Ten? He asked, still as enthusiastic.

The girl pointed to the wall the elder was sat against. - Over here.

\- Where? I can’t see him??

\- Oh, dear hell did becoming human make you blind too? Said Ten between two laughs.

But he had no answer.  
Hendery didn’t hear him.

His happy expression immediately dropped of Ten’s face as realization started to take control of his mind.  
Hendery..couldn’t see him…and didn’t hear him?  
Was Ten…still a ghost?

He brought his hands to his face, and that simple sight could have made him cry.  
They were translucid.   
They didn’t change.  
He didn’t change.  
He was still a ghost.  
And Hendery wasn’t.

It was happening again. Again. The man who he loved couldn’t see him anymore. Like he just…disappeared.

Angelina was quick to understand, and her smile dropped.

\- Hendery…Ten is right against the wall. But he didn’t come back to life.

The boy froze and brought his hands to his mouth in bewilderment.

\- No…No hell no! Ten I’m not doing this without you!

If Ten wasn’t able to cry, now Hendery sure was and the tears started to fall as he stared into the nothingness in front of him.  
They must have made some noise because this caused Mrs. Bamerson to barge into the attic.

\- What the…Angelina, what happened here?? And who is this boy?

Both turned around. This was going to be very hard to explain.

\- Well you know this is the Kunhang guy who went missing…he was hiding in the attic…

Any other day, this would have Mrs. Bamerson throwing a fit and calling the police.  
But not today.  
Today, she was just fed with everything.

\- I…whatever. Young boy, you better be out of the house in the next second if you don’t want me to report you. Angelina, clean your mess. We’re going.

\- No mom no!!

The woman lost patience and forcefully dragged her daughter and a still crying Hendery out of the attic.  
The door shut.

Ten was alone, in the dark.  
Again.

But this time, he would fight back.

******

This was stupid.  
Yes, this was by far the stupidest idea he ever had.  
But it was worth it.  
Or at least, he hoped so.

It’s been three days since he last saw Hendery.  
And those three days have been more than enough for him to realize that there was no point in continuing to live here, alone, haunting the empty attic without any goal, forever.  
It was so silent. He used to love silence, but not anymore.  
Now he loved Hendery’s laugh, Angie’s rambling, the sound of their steps as they danced, the sound of their voices as they sang some rock song.  
He let Rosemary go, but he wouldn’t anymore. Those two meant too much. They were too precious to him.

He went out of the ‘désormais’ empty house, inhaled the scent of the daises, enjoyed the touch of the wind, until he reached his grave.  
The limit of the perimeter he could live in.

« Here lies Lee Ten, 1789-1812 ».

He knew the words that were engraved on the tombstone by heart. He took a marker he found in the attic, that Angie must have forgotten there, and rectified the inscription.

« Here lies Lee Ten, 1789- Today »

He smiled at his work before putting the marker down, with a last look towards the grave. His first life stopped a long time ago. It was now time for him to start his second.

He took a deep breath in, and he started running. Running away from the house he had been in for more than 200 years. Running towards the wood he merely had the chance to explore. Running towards Hendery.  
His hands started disappearing, then his wrists, his ankles and knees, all of his arms and legs. But he didn’t stop. His waist vanished as well as his shoulders. His torso, his neck, and finally his face. Only leaving enough time for him to mutter a silent « I’m coming for you ».

********  
\- AH!

The girl breathed heavily, her forehead and neck covered in sweat making her long hair stick to it.  
She sat up on her bed and pulled away from the covers, gasping for some fresh hair.  
That was one hell of a dream.

She got out of bed once she collected herself, and walked to the kitchen to take some water.  
She moved a lot, but this time she knew for sure that she couldn’t forgive her mother for making them leave in a rush. For leaving Ten alone back in the mansion.  
Those past months were so out of the ordinary that she would think they never happened if her memories weren’t so vivid. If they weren’t so real.

She got back into her bedroom, only to freeze in her steps and to drop the poor glass on the ground.  
Right on her bed sat a flower crown. More specifically, a crown of perfectly healthy pristine daisies.

Wait.  
A flower crown!!  
Of course it was a flower crown!!

Animated by a fierce determination, she quickly put shoes on and ran out of the hotel suite she and her family were staying at, as silently as possible in an attempt to not wake her parents up.  
She was very bad at directions, but the energy that flew through her being led her every step as if a path of light was indicating her exactly where to go. She knew. She just knew.  
Soon the sight of a familiar forest appeared, and she couldn’t fight a huge smile to make its way to her face. She was so full of adrenaline that she didn’t even realize that her feet were not even touching the ground anymore. She was flying.  
It took her about an hour to make it to a small cottage lost in the middle of the wood so that no one could find it, or at least no one that hadn’t already been there. But Angie was not of those people.  
She flew back to the ground, breathless but happy, as she quickly knocked on the door.  
A few minutes after, a very tired looking Sicheng opened it, nearly hitting her.

\- …Angie? It’s three in the morning what are you doing here?

\- I’m sorry, is Hendery there?

It’s not like the young male had anywhere else to be but at his friend’s. He was surely not going to go back to his parent’s house after all, nor go back to the mansion.  
Sicheng nodded as he held the door open for Angie to step in.

\- He’s not sleeping. He hasn’t slept in three days actually. He said, leading her to Hendery’s room.

The boy was indeed sat on his bed, restless. His gaze lit up for a moment when he saw her, and he got up to take her in his arms.

\- Angie!! What are you doing here? Your parents are going to be worried!

\- I wouldn’t really care, you’re way more worried than them. Hendery listen, I think I found a way to bring Ten back!

The boy froze, a doubtful look on his face.

\- What?

\- Last time, my powers were not strong enough to resurrect him, he must’ve been dead for too long. But we missed an ingredient to the formula, remember? Objects of love! Hendery, it has to be flower crowns!!! He made you one and you made one back, and hell together you crafted me a good hundred of them! What represents love better than them??

Both Hendery and Sicheng stared at her in bewilderment. It made sense. It made so much sense that they felt dumb not having thought about it earlier.

\- Angie? You’re a damn genius. Said Hendery with a smile.

\- That’s great, but how are we gonna get into the house now? Hendery can’t go through walls anymore, and Angie had to give back the key.

Yuta dramatically entered the room, holding a bottle containing a suspicious-looking red liquid inside of it.

\- We blow the hell out of the door.

*****

Yuta was definitely very good at potion-making, or so they found out when the door burst into flames.

\- Okay, everyone, I’d say we have more or less 15 minutes before the police show up. You can work with that?

\- I can try. Answered Angie.

The four of them rushed into the house, screaming Ten’s name at the top of their lungs.

\- Angelina, can you see or hear him? Asked a very worried Hendery.

\- No, I…I think he tried to leave the house.

\- What?!

\- I can feel it. Plus, it would explain why a flower crown randomly appeared on my bed.

Hendery gulped, feeling more and more anxious as time went on. This had to work.  
They climbed to Angie’s ex-bedroom, to find it completely empty except for the dresser which was too big and heavy for anyone to try to move it.  
The girl opened the door, to reveal mountains of dried up petals. She took a deep breath in and extended her hands towards them.  
One after another, the flowers regained life, became pristine daisies again. And lastly, they arranged into flower crowns.  
A hundred of flower crowns.

Hendery congratulated the girl, and the four took as many crowns as they could before carrying them to the attic.

\- Great so…I have to draw the lines first…said Angelina as she took ahold of a piece of chalk that was laying there.

As she and Yuta did that, Hendery and Sicheng started scratching the walls for saltpetre and gathered the remaining pieces of broken glass.  
It was not much, but it had to be enough.

\- Now, a drop of blood-

Hendery prevented Angelina from cutting her finger as he held his own hand above the other ingredients and made a small cut on it. Now that he had blood, he’d better put it to good use.  
Sicheng finally threw some sage on top of everything else, almost ending the preparation.

\- And now, objects of love.

Hendery and Angie shared a look, not for long, but long enough to share their worries.  
« What if it doesn't work? » « What if we were wrong about the flower crowns? » « What if Ten having vanished prevents us from bringing him back? » « What if I’m still not powerful enough? »

Angelina gulped down her worries, as she held her hands in front of her and started to recite the spell.  
White light spurted out of her hands, but Hendery noticed how shaky they were. He took one of her small hands in his own, smiling gently.  
Yuta joined, red light coming out of one of his own fingers, the other hand intertwined with Sicheng’s.  
This had to work.

The white light became stronger than ever as it engulfed the room, shining so bright everyone had to squint their eyes.  
So strong, that when a flash occurred they were all projected on the ground.

And when they opened their eyes again, they were five in the room.

They all stared at the silhouette in awe, not believing that the spell actually worked.

\- What? My beauty is so breathtaking that all of you just forgot how to talk? Said Ten, with his usual sarcastic voice.

They all broke into smiles and laughter, as Hendery rushed forward to squeeze the elder in his arms.

\- I thought you were dead, idiot.

\- Ah, you wish. It’s going to take you more to get rid of me. Replied Ten, not letting go.

Without a warning, Hendery’s lips crashed onto Ten’s. Sure, they had kissed before but this was different.  
This was warm. Their lips were soft, not ice cold. Their cheeks turned red as they blushed.  
They were human.  
They were alive.

\- Hum hum.

They parted, only to see Sicheng covering Angie’s eyes with his hands.

\- Guys, ya’ll are cute but the police is coming so I’d appreciate if we hurried to leave.

\- The Police? The hell did you do? Asked a confused Ten.

\- Long story. You’re gonna love it.

*****

Epilogue

\- So as you can see, this door has just been restored as it had been set on fire last year. It's made out of wood and it's very solid, so don't worry about anyone coming into the property.  
The men nodded, as the real estate agent went on with the visit.  
\- Here you can see the living room. We tried to keep it into its pure 18th-century glory, while still renovating it to make it practical. There's a large TV, and you can plug some consoles if you'd like.  
\- Ugh. Technology. Said one of the men.  
\- You're an old school guy?  
\- You could say that.  
She smiled professionally, not really knowing what to answer. Those visitors were definitely odd.  
\- Here is the kitchen. Fully fonctionnable and entirely furnished, you would love it. Now, let's move on to the upper floor. Honey, your room should be there. Is she your daughter? Asked the agent, pointing to the young teen accompanying the couple.  
\- No, we're her tutors. Her parents are away for the year. Work stuff, you know how life is. Answered one of the men.  
\- Oh, I see. Well, this is the room! It nice, very well lit, big. The dresser stays there, though I have to warn you, flowers seem to appear in it out of nowhere. Do you like flowers, sweetheart?  
\- Yes. Coldly said the child, not liking this "sweetheart" mascarade. She was twelve for hell's sake!  
\- ...Great. Oh, and lastly, the attic. It's been a while since it was last cleaned, but it's actually a great storage space. I'm sorry for the weird lines on the floor, we've been trying to erase them but unsuccessfully so. So, what do you think of the house Mr...Lee and Wong?  
Ten and Hendery smiled, sharing a look with Angelina.  
\- It's perfect. It already feels like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading part one, make sure to read part two!
> 
> If you leave a comment I might offer you my first born as if you were a XIXth century witch.
> 
> (I'm a lesbian though so don't count on it)


End file.
